As my fifth New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival gets closer, the anticipation gets stronger. This year is a little different- I have two friends coming to Jazz Fest on my say so, so I’m a little stressed, wanting to make sure they tell me what they want to hear, making sure they love it as much as I do. So in prepping for my favorite week of the year, here are some things you don’t want to miss:

At the fairgrounds:

Thursday, May 3rd

High School Gospel Choirs: I like to open my fest with the McMain Singing Mustangs – every year, these kids bring some serious firepower to the Gospel Tent. McDonogh #35 High School also does some incredible stuff later in the afternoon.

New Orleans Music Legends: Bassist George Porter Jr. has probably played on your favorite album, whether with Tori Amos, David Byrne, being the bass line sampled for tons of hip hop classics, or with his own groundbreaking work with the legendary Meters. Do yourself a favor and see him. While you’re at it, check out piano virtuoso Henry Butler, and the boys and girl in Dumpstaphunk. All of em will make you wish you lived here and saw em more often.

Home Grown Up and Comers: I saw Mia Borders in a tiny club with a leaky roof on the lower east side last year and she was amazing. Probably got an awesome band with her, including NOLA saxman Khris Royal (who’s probably with George too), and her cover of Bill Wither‘s “Use Me” was just bananas last year.

Pick your own Jazz Adventure: Three amazing jazz sets happening right after Theresa, at the same time. I have no idea how I’ll do all three. Big Chief Donald Harrison will be mixing his bebop and modern jazz skills with R&B and NOLA classics, ala the amazing cover of “Indian Red” he did for the Treme Season One Soundtrack. Or, you can get your fill of low end saxophonics, with Roger Lewis (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) leading three Bari Saxes and a Bass Sax for Baritone Bliss (which was fantastic last year). Or, you can see Preservation Hall trumpet man Mark Braud do his own thing in the Economy Hall tent.

Holy People: Bet on Mavis Staples, who was already among the top reasons we went with this weekend, to put on a ridiculous set at the gospel tent in honor of her friend (and ours), the late great Levon Helm. I’m sure her set is going to be so great, I’ll probably miss Deacon John‘s killer cover of “Many Rivers to Cross” to get a spot. However, if I were you, I wouldn’t miss much else of his set. Local music legend, a fantastic performer, a great singer, a helluva guitar player, just amazing stuff, see Deacon John.

Mahalia Jackson – Historic Jazz Fest Picture

Saturday May 5th

Family Preservation: Loads of famous families in the New Orleans tradition – on Saturday, the Brunious family represents in Economy Hall. A few hours before Mark Braud (nephew to the late John Brunious) takes the stage (and hopefully passes out some ice cream) with the
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, his other uncle (and brother to John) Wendell Brunious will step up to the stage- Wendell was on fire at BAM a couple weeks back, sitting in with Dr. John, so look for some tasty trumpet goodness all around.

Sunday, May 6th

Sunday is always the most packed day, the closing day of the festival. Of course, I can tell you to park at Gentilly Stage all day, or don’t miss Galactic, but hopefully you already know. Here are a few things you might not know about:

The Family that Prays Together: Remember that John Boutte guy from Saturday? He’s bringin’ his whole family to the gospel tent. You should get there too.

Arieal

Glen David Andrews: Cousin to Trombone Shorty and James Andrews, the fire-breathing trombone player’s got an incredible performance you don’t want to miss. Why he’s not taking his rightful place closing down the Gospel tent is beyond me, but at least it makes the FOMS (Fear of Missing Something) to close the festival a bit easier.

Camping at the Jazz and Heritage Stage: I don’t know the higher heights, but every other group at the Jazz and Heritage stage is a smoker, starting with War Chief Juan, the TBC Brass Band, Los Hombres Calientes will be incredible (why not in the Jazz tent?), and

Big Chief Bo Dollis: It’s not clear if the Big Chief is going to make it, he’s fallen ill, so I expect the boys to rock it out hard for him even if he can’t make it. Look for Brooklynite turned Orleanian Billy Iuso wrecking shop on guitar (if not here, with Anders on Saturday), he’s a force to be reckoned with.

Close out with the Hall: Okay, so you’ve got 8, count em, 8 amazing sets lined up to end your fest. My pick is Preservation Hall – they’re going to have a lot of friends on stage with them and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Also, I have no idea why they put Sharon Jones in the Blues Tent when she’s going to want the crowd up and dancing.

One of the greatest works to emerge from the Beat Generation was Allen Ginsberg’sKaddish, a sprawling, propulsive poem about the poet’s estrangement from Judaism. The 2012 Tune-In Music Festival will begin with a world premiere, commissioned by the Park Avenue Armory from jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, to be performed by the composer and an eight-piece ensemble accompanying a reading of Kaddish by Ginsberg collaborator Hal Willner and artist Ralph Steadman, who will create the visual design and staging to accompany the piece. (Runs 75 minutes with no intermission)

Longtime Glass collaborator Patti Smith and her band join Glass for the second concert, “The Poet Speaks,” performing music and readings celebrating their favorite poets, including Ginsberg and William Blake, which will be the first New York performance for the pair. (Runs approx. 90 Minutes with no intermission)

For the third concert, The Philip Glass Ensemble will offer a rare performance of the entire Music in Twelve Parts, Glass’s epic minimalist composition which he considers his “breakthrough” work. (Runs a total of 5 hours including two short intermissions and one hour long dinner break)

The final day of the Festival will begin with compilation of unique artists that Philip Glass has assembled and represent the forward momentum of contemporary music. (Runs a total of 2 hours 15 minutes with one Intermission)

The Festival concludes with Glass’s Another Look at Harmony, a choral work Glass started in 1975 for organ and 100 voices, performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the Collegiate Chorale, and organist Michael Riesman, music director and keyboardist of The Philip Glass Ensemble. (Runs 62 minutes with no intermission)

There are music festivals and then there is Jam Cruise!! A musical festival on a cruise ship that travels international seas for 5 to 6 days. I said it last year and I will say it again now. IT IS THE GREATEST MUSICAL ADVENTURE anyone can take.

Last year, I was at a complete loss for words. It was my Virgin Cruise and I was awestruck by the magnitude of what I had just experienced. Considering this was my second year, I thought the hype would be just a bit dimmer, I figured I would be a little less anxious and calm. Nope!

Even now, while I could burst at the seams ATTEMPTING to explain these EPIC musical journeys, I find it so hard figuring out where to start. It’s all so unbelievable. I could tackle these articles by day, or perhaps by subject regarding the atmosphere, the music or the people and so much more. I could write a five page article just on the relationship cultivations that took place this year. There is just so much!!! And the fact that I only slept about 10-12 hours over the span of 5 days gives me an arsenal of memories to pull from.

Jam Cruise 9 Website Banner

Last year Tinyrager.com didn’t exist as it’s own site. I wrote for other sites but mainly for my own personal cataloging of memories and would just save the documents on my computer. So, after last year’s Jam Cruise, I began writing out my adventure and I never made it past the Sail Away Party.

My life took off before I could finish my personal Jam Cruise manifesto. But I did make an attempt and the end result was all the glorious details about the embarkation line to the ship, the embarkation process, what happened when I explored the boat stumbling across the various venues and checking into my room with the gift bags and what not. I wrote about everything I could remember up until the Sail Away Party….and then I stopped.

This year, I am going to continue where I left off at the Sail Away Party with a few backtracking steps. There is no need for me to re-write the exact same information about the boat for this article. If you would like to know about all the things listed above then CLICK HERE! The article is totally relevant to this one and worth the read and would help cement your mind if you are still debating on getting on the boat. Jam Cruise staff actually found it last year and blasted it over their page a few times due to the comprehensive nature of the article. So, enjoy that! It’s got great pictures too!

Now, let’s get this party started!!!

Hello Pretty Ship (Photo by Murray)

~ Boarding & Pre-Sail Away ~

Within MINUTES, sooooo much can happen to you on Jam Cruise. This year, I boarded the boat in what felt like 15 minutes but was really a little over/under an hour. As we get our room keys and begin the walk into the ship, I gaze to my right and Bob Weir is standing next to me. He pulled himself from the line and leans against the wall looking dazed, confused and very skinny. Had he been standing by us the whole time and we been too excited to notice? He didn’t have an entourage and he looked so frail I guess it’s possible. As my friends and I realized the magnitude of this moment, we all said “Hello Bob!” and he flashed us a forced smile. I couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad but I knew how we felt! FREAKING STOKED!!!

A few more feet through the line and we were shuffled into the section where you get your boarding pictures taken. You could purchase the pictures for $30 if you wanted, but whoa that is a lot. However, in the group behind us, Steve Kimock jumped into the picture. Now THAT is a $30 moment worth purchasing!! And there you had another group of people whose minds were just blown and we hadn’t even made it on the boat yet. Sadly, my hunt for these pictures has come to a dead end. They are gone once you leave the ship.

The NYC Krewe + some before all hell broke loose 🙂 (Photo By Murray)

I was in line with two of my best friends from NYC and we were in different rooms. Once we boarded the boat we separated so I could take my luggage to my room and unpack as fast as possible as not to miss a moment. I was wearing my Big Sam’s Funky Nation tee-shirt, READY for the Sail Away Party. READY to see my main man Big Sam. As I step into the mirrored elevator with my luggage, I was covered by this giant shadow of a man who had followed behind me. And as I turn around, I am embraced by none other than Big Sam. Having reached out to me after he saw one of my reviews of his show, he flashed a smile that melted me as I got a huge hug! What a super duper dude! I will have TONS to say about him later in these articles.

(Photo by Jeffery Dupuis)

Last year I was in the Singles Program. The layout of my room this year was exactly like last year except that I was now with two friends I had met on my virgin cruise: Aaron and Victoria, a super cute Jam Cruise couple who completely enhanced my journey. Thank you both for being such wonderful roommates. I entered an empty room and unpacked as fast as I could. When I walked out of my room, I just didn’t know which way to turn. There were SO many people I wanted to see who I hadn’t seen since last year’s journey and whose relationship was cultivated through Facebook over the year as we waited patiently to all be together again. There was so much I wanted to do all in one moment but I knew where I needed to be. This year, I had a krewe from NYC on the boat and one of them was a virgin, my dear sweet friend Jessica. I wanted to see their room and be with her. I just wanted to watch her take it all in because that must have been what I was like last year with my jaw on the ground.

Jam Cruise is over but we know that time will last forever. From the minute I walked into 10242 there was nothing but LOVE. Jessica who I’vereally never met treated me (and everyone) like I was a saint or angel or something. We constructed the door decor (bonding) and the RAGE was on ! Off to Eric’s to gather the troops and start the search for the bottom of the tequilla bottle. A short time later we were off to the pool deck to find the angel Karen has been talking about: Hillary! ~ Murray Ballz

~ Door Décor Competition ~

Sharon & Said's Decor!! (Photo by Richmand Images)

As I entered their room, the faces looking at me were already more shiny and sparkly then when we had left in line. The Jam Cruise blood was flowing through their veins. Their room was bigger with a balcony. It’s always good for SOMEONE in your rage krewe to have a balcony! They had taken out all the makings for their door décor and were attempting to assemble it. Their concept was beautiful. Using pictures of multiple artists and groups that inspired them, along with artists that couldn’t make it on the boat as well as pictures of allllllll our friends and families who couldn’t make it on the boat, we were to create a collage covering the door and then we placed a mirror in the middle. On the mirror’s top it read: “We are all on board together.” On the mirror’s bottom: “And so are you!” So, that when you look into the mirror, everyone is together, connected somehow on board together. I loved it!

A typical hallway on Jam Cruise (Photo by Chad Smith)

(Photo by Murray)

We spent a few hours cutting pictures, tapping things. The rest of our NY posse rolling through the room to say Hi and get the best hugs in the world. This also began the utilization of the deck for party breaks which, as time passed, began making it hard for us to focus and use tape correctly HAHAHA!! The mirror began messing with my head; Rob couldn’t roll a piece of tape to save his life! It was awesome! Oh, you should have seen it.

During this time, the magic of the boat presented itself to us with the introduction of Rob and Jess’s neighbors. When we ran out of tape, they came right in for the rescue. When we needed writing done for the mirror, they were right there with a solution and Maker’s Mark on the rocks. No matter what you want, you get what you NEED on Jam Cruise! From masking tape to enlightenment.

Putting "our" door decor!! (Photo by Murray)

The final product was perfect. A door COVERED with people and musicians we love that couldn’t be on the boat with us, yet they were, even if it was only in this small way. Throughout the week, any number of our NYC posse could be found sitting on the floor starting at our door. Staring at our loved ones, staring at Jerry and Janis. Personally, I was found passed out with my hand on the picture of myself and my boyfriend on the first night and was guided back to bed for what would be the only night I would sleep in my cabin!!!

And in terms of what door enhanced my JC experience the most?? Door number #9211. This door was covered in 3D pictures from last year’s Jam Cruise. There were numerous 3D glasses attached to the wall by string so you could see the pictures. It just got cooler every time I saw it. And at one point, I didn’t even NEED the glasses to see it in 3D. So, anyway, TINYRAGER award to Room #9211 for making us go OUT of our way at least 2 times a day to check out your door!

Forum Party/ Sharon's Birthday Rage! (Photo by Rex-A-Vision)

Once we finished the door we realized that we missed the forum party on the pool deck. They had gathered to give Sharon R. a proper Happy Birthday. I am so sorry I missed this Sharon! Love you! And now…it was time for the Sail Away Party!!!

Jam Cruise Day One Schedule!!

~ Big Sam’s Funky Nation / Sail Away Party ~ Pool Deck ~

Photo By Rex-A-Vision

The wonderful Julie McCoy (Photo by Chad Smith)

The Sail Away Party is phenomenal and truly defines the rest of the voyage. Julie McCoy, the ship’s activities coordinator/manager/queen bee, comes on to the stage. Free champagne is distributed amongst the cruisers lining the pool deck and The Captain and Julie McCoy toast us off on our journey. Then the horns blow and you now know…the party has OFFICIALLY begun. As well, Sweet Water Brewery gives out free beer at during this set, wonderful news for the alcohol drinkers, if you like their flavors!

Photo by Rex-A-Vision

I walked to the front row with my friends, toasted, and then stepped away for a moment alone. I was alone on the top level of the Pool deck last year for the beginning of Trombone Shorty’s Sail Away Party and I wanted to be in the similar location and just be alone, connecting with the ship, for a few moments. If you read my post from last year, you know the turmoil I was in before I boarded this magical vessel that changed my world. So, I walked up to my sacred spot, snapped a picture of the amazing sight I was staring at and took one giant breath. Upon exhaling that breath came SO MANY tears, I almost collapsed. The flood gates opened upon the realization that I was back. I was back in this music world; this musical WONDERLAND that completely CHANGED MY LIFE! And this year was going to be SO different than last year.

~ Big Sam Sail Away Party~ Raging Audience Shot from Stage ~

Photo By Rex-A-Vision

After letting the tears flow for 2 songs, I gathered myself, with the help of a few people around me, and went back down to the front row, puffy faced and all smiles. For those of you who don’t know much about the boat or who are not large into the music scene, the front row is where it’s at. I was greeted into the front row where all the best people reside in most musical scenes, let alone Jam Cruise. But I suppose I need to talk about music here at some point right? Wasn’t this a music festival on a ship?

Not so great mobile pic of the View from my "alone" spot (Photo by TinyRager)

I have seen Big Sam numerous times throughout the year. I was worried that his Sail Away party would be the same formulaic shows that I had seen him perform over the year. But that wasn’t the case. Where there was a similar flow to it all, Big Sam covered some great songs, added some new dance moves…they just brought us a new show and the audience ate it right up.

Photo by Rex-A-Vision

During the fourth song, the ship’s debarking horn blew, the pool deck erupted with cheers and we started moving. Immediately, the heavy hitters started joining the party. If nothing else, Jam Cruise is about the various musical combination of artists you can find performing on the boat. You NEVER know who is going to sit in with whom. In this case, Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) joined Big Sam for “Gonna Get Funked Up Tonight” and Fred Wesley (JB Horns) followed for “See Me Dance”.

~ Big Sam Sail Away Party~ Top of Pool Deck Perspective ~

Now, The Funky Nation is know for their ability to rage cover songs as well as create new edgy music. Throughout the set he blew some heat into Gnarls Barkley‘s “Crazy”, The Black Crowes/Otis Redding‘s “Hard To Handle” and their final song of the set was a mash up of Cee Lo Green‘s “Fuck You” and Lady Gaga‘s “Bad Religion”. This moment was special for me because when the song first came out, Josh and I literally blasted that Cee Lo Green song for a month straight every morning while getting ready for work. The song is hilarious and the video is even more so. In this moment, I looked around the pool deck and saw people kinda staring blankly. Except for a few people, they didn’t recognize the song. The entire set lived up to it’s expectations. It was high energy, full of flare and raging rock funk.

At this point we had half an hour until any music started. Being that this was the first night, I can’t believe they had lulls but this year’s scheduling seemed to be staggered differently so whatever. Gave us time to debate! The options were:

Already, my heart was racing with the fact that I knew I would be missing things I didn’t want to miss. This year, I knew I would be spending a significant amount of time the first few days cultivating relationships and so I made a point to schedule the music I loved but also plan to hang out where a large percentage of my Jamily might be.

Most of the performers have two sets over the course of the week so I was ok with missing things here and there and catching them later. In general, the inner turmoil for me over what music to see is the most stress I feel on that ship.

Carlos Felice Theater! (Photo by TinyRager)

I took off for Robert Randolph and the Family Band, riding on a cloud. When I got there, the theater greeted me with all its purple and gold majesty. This is my favorite venue on the ship. Again, you can learn about the ship from last year’s posts. But I will tell ya that the purple and gold colors are beautiful and remind me of my college, there are two levels to rage on, the elevated steps in front of the stage are perfect for our drinks, extra costume accessories like boas, hats and what not. The stairs are also rounded and this allows for a much larger front row throwdown.

I got to the theater and no one was really even in there and the roadies were still setting up. Speaking of cultivating relationships, I met a lovely twin set named Cindy and Mindy, who inevitably raged the front row with the best of us the whole cruise. Rage on ragers. Big hugs to you both!

As I sat there, making new friends, old ones started arriving. Said and Sharon’s smiling face made their way to our side of the theater. (Thanks to Said for the RR&TFB set-list below). Then one by one the Jamily krewe gathered until we were 25+ deep on the left side of the stage. Oh, how I just want to talk about all these lovely people, not the music. It’s insane. But that is not the purpose of this so…

(Photo by Rex-A-Vision)

(Photo by Rex-A-Vision)

Having seen Robert Randolph and the Family Band a few times this year and being disappointed in the performances, I was PRAYING that he would kick it back to his roots and focus on older songs, perhaps melt our faces without playing Lady Gaga tunes to fill time. Perhaps give us some great covers; perhaps show us some great collaborations. And that is exactly what they did.

Blasting off his set with “Ted’s Jam,” he shot me right back to ten years ago when I first found Robert and Danyel at Star Hill in Charlottesville, Virginia. The newest addition to the clan, Lenesha Randolph, was on stage, backing up her brother. I am still weary on her talent. I won’t say anymore regarding that topic.

“The March” is one of my all time favorites Robert debuted years ago. I was right up front with my musical posse and when Robert got off his seat and started dancing for us, we all knew the dance and joined along. He asked us to teach those around us but he was doing a fine job wiggling his body for us….mmmmmm. And Danyel‘s bass thumped away. I am absolutely IN LOVE with Danyel and his voice. Always have been!

“Tears of Joy” brought the blues to an otherwise raging set and my faith in Robert Randolph and his family, however swaying it may have been hours earlier, was restored and his #1 fan was back on top, in the front row, loosing her mind!

As soon as set ended, I hightailed it to the Pool Deck to check out the remainder of Bob Weir‘s Scaring The Children. I ended up on the upper deck looking down at the sea of Dead heads who were staring doe-eyed at Bobby and Co. The wind was blowing warmly over my body as I realized we were so far from land now I couldn’t see lights.

I gave Bobby as much time as I could before wanting to leave. Personally, I thought it sounded pretty slow and that is not a bad thing, I just needed something more to move to. I wish I could recall the song that was playing. Even though it was tough for me to look at Bobby, as all I could imagine was the scene from Indiana Jones where the guy takes the sip from the wrong chalice and his skin melts off, it appeared that he was giving the people what they wanted. Smiles abounded on the faces below me and I just knew that Jerry was smiling down upon the ship.

(Photo by Jeffrey Dupuis)

So, after Robert Randolph‘s set, we were faced with more difficult choices.

Performing on same stage as Robert Randolph, the Anders set was going to take a little time to prepare as they transferred over the equipment. I used this time to gather my thoughts, fill up my water bottle and grab a bite to eat. I don’t want to go into the food just yet…too stressful.

(Photo by Michael Weiss)

I had missed Anders Osbourne the few times he made his way through NYC the past year and having seen him in the past, I KNEW he would rip up whatever stage he was on with his rouge, wild, rockin’ New Orleans vibe. That is exactly what I was looking for at this time in the evening.

His back up band was a force to be reckoned with. Joining the stage this set was:

This set was complete fire!!! I mean absolutely out of control, rock-laced guitar shredding jams, backed by outrageous solos by Skerik and added guitar layers by way of Scott Metzger and Will Bernard. At the time, it was my favorite set of the night and in hindsight, it is in my top five sets of the week. The inclusion of Skerik‘s hyper-driven saxophone layered upon Anders songs was, well……take a look at this….seriously.

4) AND THE LAST CHOICE!!!! The Jam Room: Hosted by Tony Hall (12:00am – 6:00am)

Now we come to the greatest and grandest part of the Jam Cruise experience. THE JAM ROOM!! Each night, a different musician (generally a guitar player, keys player or bass player) hosts The Jam Room. The Jam Room is a entertainment space located in the rear of the ship where these musicians play host to who ever wants to join them on stage. Sometimes, there are pre-arranged gatherings or sometimes a musician just jumps up for a song and adds to the insanity. Always, there are free jams, group rages and it’s all off the cuff improvisational jamming.

~ The Jam Room with Host Tony Hall ~

(Photo by Rex-A-Vision)

Tonight’s Jam Room host was Tony Hall, New Orlean’s Dumpstaphunk bass player. Tony is one of the most charismatic musicians around. He is always invested in engaging with his audiences, making faces, pulling girls on stage, dancing with the audience. He is one of my favorites in that aspect.

Sadly there is not a lot of footage from the Jam Room to show you. Many Cruisers had already gone to bed to save their strength while others were raging so hard they couldn’t manipulate a camera or video device to save their life. But I can tell you that it was a RIPPING good Jam Room.

It was an epic moment lost on the winds of the ocean and remembered only by those that were present… ~ Ananda Atmore

Tony Hall was backed by many of his bands mates from Dumpstaphunk to include:

There was so much happening on stage there is no way to recall it all. One of the last songs played in the jam room that night was Jimi Hendrix‘s “Hey Joe”. The Lee Boys‘ Roosevelt Collier jumped up on stage and confused the hell out of us as he was only a passenger on the ship thus year! SO FUN when things like that happen. You know it’s a good time when other musicians pay to get on board.

(Photo by Rex-A-Vision)

(Photo by Rex-A-Vision)

Tonight would be the only night that I came back to my room to sleep. The theme one must know and get to embrace on Jam Cruise is: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint!” It appeared that everyone had taken that creed to heart as I wondered around the pool deck wondering where everyone was. Where were the late night jam sessions and/or drum circles on the pool decks? Where was Brock Butler playing his acoustic guitar to the people watching the sunrise.I am sure that they were somewhere, I just never stumbled upon them. It was destiny, however, because after raging the Unofficial Pre-Jam Cruise party at the Days Inn Bahia Cabana Beach Resort the night prior, I was exhausted. I decided to watch the sunrise with my NYC crew and hear how our virgin cruiser Jessica B. had enjoyed her first night.

As I looked over the balcony, lost in the wake of the ship, my friends and I smiled at each other. We watched the wake of the ship hit the tip of the horizon and we knew there was no turning back. We were together on this epic musical journey and there were so many adventures to be had. I took myself to bed around 7am but not before touching the faces of all our family and friends that lined the door decor, wishing they were with us. Sleep was needed as we had a full day at sea tomorrow. I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us when we final rose again.

An “Easy D” Perspective: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Moving slow this morning. Quick check of the weather forecast reveals no change. Total cloud cover, breezy, chance of rain. This is great. No need to continuously apply SPF 30! Time to get on the school bus! Unfortunately, we missed the first period of classes. However, we arrive in time to catch the end of the Henry Butler & the Game Bandsetat the Gentilly stage. This band had much more of a gospel feel than New Orleans Social Club showcasing Henry Butler’s great voice as well as his piano playing prowess.

Saturday at Jazz Fest gets extremely crowded. It’s good to have a strategy so that you can enjoy viewing the performers without having to battle the crowds. This is especially true as one gets older and perhaps less slim (like me). Over the last couple of years, our Krewe has adopted the following strategy for the Acura stage once the crowds build: position ourselves in front of the big screen to the left of the stage near the Grand Marshall entrance. This is where we went next.

It has been a year since I have seen Anders Osborne live, but I have been following his career closely and could not help but notice that his appearance has taken a turn to say the least. When viewed on the big screen, Anders’ appearance is, how can I say this tactfully, even more disconcerting.

Anders Osbourne @ Jazz Fet 2010

However, there was nothing disconcerting about the performance or the great songs from Anders’ brand new album American Patchwork. Most notable was the killer tune ‘On the Road to Charlie Parker’ as well as another gem ‘Acapulco’. During the set, Anders thanked the Stanton Moore Trio for helping to ‘get my shit together.’ It’s easy to see why with such great collaborators providing the right mood for Anders’ introspective lyrics.

Afterwards, Anders quipped about starting a ZZ Top cover band with Pepper. I found Anders set to be quite powerful and emotional, certainly destined to be one of my highlights of Jazzfest 2010. Anders is currently touring with the Trio on the west coast promoting the new album. Go see them if you can!

After that set, I was spent. Seems like just the right time to head to the Blues tent and grab a seat for Chris Thomas King. You may remember Chris from his co-starring role in the Coen Brothers film O Brother Where Art Thou. I learned several years ago that Chris is a great singer and delta blues guitarist when I caught him at a blues festival in Wheeling, WV. His Jazz Fest set featured Chris playing mostly acoustic instruments with a couple of tunes on electric. My guitar playing buddy was impressed.

Chris Thomas King @ Jazz Fest 2010

Crawfish Strudel

Time for some food! I was ‘beered out’ by Saturday, decided I should look for a different beverage. I selected the Rosemint Iced Tea (unsweetened). Delicious. At this point I was looking for something I had not tried for and saw a sign for something called a Crawfish Strudel. Hmmm. Better check that out. What I saw was a small rectangular flaky bread loaf with a slit through the top stuffed with a soupy concoction with chunks of crawfish. Kinda like a small bread bowl, if you will, but very delicate. A very nice surprise! While I was working through the food lines, I could see the big Acura screen between the booths. I noticed that Irma Thomas was sitting in with Galactic! I guess I picked the wrong time to get hungry!

Band of Horses @ Jazz Fest 2010

By this time, our dogs were barking (it’s hell growing old), so we worked our way over to the Fais Do Do stage. Got there in time to see BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet finish their set. Excellent. Most of my Krewe ended up randomly gathering as the Honey Island Swamp Band set up for their set. One brought a chair and set it up toward the back of the crowd. Some friends and I parked on the bleachers to the left of the stage. Some were in the standing area in front of the stage. It’s great to have a group split during a day at the fest then randomly meet near the end of the day. Some of my group reported that the Band of Horses set at Gentilly was killer. Others reported that Galactic had many special guests throughout their set, not just Irma.

I have been following Chris Mulé and Aaron Wilkinson for years, since their days as part of Eric Lindell’s band. Both are great players and singers. In addition to the band, the stage was filled with a keyboard player, backing vocalists, and a horn section, quite a departure from the spare traveling band I saw just a few weeks ago at a small club in my hometown. But what a dancin’ party it was at Fais Do Do!

I knew that the crowds for Pearl Jam at Acura would be impossible. I made the decision long before coming to New Orleans that I would end Saturday at the Gentilly stage for guitar god Jeff Beck. It has been about a decade since I last saw Mr. Beck. I am happy to report that he is getting better with age if that is possible. His very tight band consisted of a phenomenal female bass player and singer, drummer, and a keyboardist. Most tunes were instrumentals, but hey, that’s OK, Jeff makes the guitar sing like no one can. Also, gotta love a guy that is comfortable in his wardrobe. Great ending to yet another great day. Heavy clouds, no rain! I like this trend!

Jeff Beck @ Jazz Fest 2010

Saturday Night, 5/1

Some of our Krewe were talking about going to see Anders Osborne and the Stanton Moore Trio again at The Rock ‘N’ Bowl on Saturday night. I wasn’t wild about going to the same venue two nights in a row and I wasn’t wild about seeing Anders again on the same day after that draining (in a good way) set at the fairgrounds. Last year, I did not make it to the Frenchman Street area in Marigny, an area just east of the French Quarter. Frenchman Street is a street lined with music clubs and restaurants that is more of a scene, hip, vibrant, bohemian, you name it area than the much more touristy Bourbon Street.

Soulive @ Jazz Fest 2010

We decided to go see Soulive at The Blue Nile. Upon arriving on the scene, the streets and sidewalks are literally jammed with people. Most I have ever seen on Frenchman Street. When we approach The Blue Nile, we land in a block long admission line. We finally make it in to the club just before the show starts. There was a large deep crowd of people in front of the stage. We positioned ourselves just to the right of the stage. While not the best vantage point, at least we can clearly see the keys.

Soulive @ Jazz Fest 2010

Soulive is Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and his brother Neal Evans (keyboards). What a pleasure to see this band in such a small venue! I have always loved Kras’ guitar playing, but from our vantage point, we had a bird’s eye view of Neal’s thumping left hand bass line playing coupled with his right hand organ playing. How does he do that?

Soulive @ Jazzfest 2010

As the set progressed, the crowd got much larger and our bird’s eye view became less ideal. There was nowhere to move or breathe for that matter, so we moved a little further back. By this time, Nigel Hall joined the band to sing a few tunes, some of which were James Brown-like. At least we had a little more space to shake our bones! Several minutes later, the long set ended. Terrific performance! We decided to get some air and check out the street scene.

Across the street in front of the now closed Café Brasil, there was a blues band (electric) playing. What fun! Not 30 feet from the blues band, a brass band was holding court in the middle of the intersection. All the while, people were stopping to listen, dancing, and strolling by. We continued walking up the street taking in all of the sights and sounds. Most of us decided that we weren’t going to fight the crowds and return to the Blue Nile for the 2nd set. The one guy that did stay behind later reported that the second set was all Beatles tunes. RUBBER SOULIVE! Darn!

There were no cabs to be had on Frenchman Street, so we decided a stroll through the neighborhoods was in order. It was a very pleasant evening and the walk did us good. Once we were back in the French Quarter, we happened to stroll by the Co Co Club on Bourbon Street and saw the most excellent blind blues guitarist, Bryan Lee, playing. What a bonus! Even though there was no cover and we could have gone inside, we had a great view of Bryan and the sound was great out on the street. We paused for about 10 minutes enjoying the band.

What a great night! And back to the hotel just before 2:00? I love it!

The 2010 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival:

An “Easy D” Perspective: Thursday, April 29, 2010

The weather for Thursday looked like it would be the best of the entire weekend. Partly cloudy, breezy, high in low 80s. Nice! We arrived in time to see the first act of the day: Chief Iron Horse & the Black Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians at the Jazz & Heritage stage. Some of the Madi Gras Indian acts are a blast. This act was one of the better ones I’ve seen over the years.

Next it was a quick stroll through the food area en route to the Acura stage. One of the benefits of Thursday is that the festival is less crowded, hence the lines for the popular food items are nonexistent. The most popular item is Crawfish Monica, a delicious combination of crawfish, pasta, and a nicely spicy creamy sauce!

Next up: Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove at the Acura stage. Kirk is a sousaphone player and original member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. He has also collaborated with Anders Osborne among others over the years. The current Backyard Groove lineup also features CR Gruver, a master keyboardist. Very entertaining set featuring a versatile horn section and nice backup vocals. I had learned from Kirk that he was having gall bladder issues a few weeks prior to the festival. He decided to try to deal with it nutritionally so that he could get through the festival gigs. He did not disappoint with this set. Stay well Kirk!

Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove @ Jazz Fest 2010

CR Gruver of Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove @ Jazz Fest 2010

The ‘scenery’ around the stages was starting to build on this slow day. Let’s just say that some folks put together fest wardrobes and devised ways to be comfortable at the festival:

Jazz Fest 2010 Scenery

Jazz Fest 2010 Scenery

Next up: Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunkat the Acura stage. Dumpstaphunk is by far one of my favorite bands. The funksters played the now familiar favorites such as Meanwhile, Turn This Thing Around, Shake It Off,Creedence Clearwater’s Fortunate Son. Music with a message. I know I put my troubles in the Dumpsta! Plus the crowds are starting to build. Dumpstaphunk lineup:

By this time, more of my extended entourage appeared including my Uptown New Orleans friends who traditionally stake out an area to the right of the Acura stage soundboard they call The Condo.

Easy D and friends @ Jazz Fest 2010

Amanda Shaw @ Gentilly Stage, Jazz Fest 2010

Next up: A quick stroll over the the Gentilly stage to catch the end of Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys. Amanda Shaw is a 19 year old fiddle and vocal phenom who has been playing professionally for several years. I think the first time I saw her play at the festival, Amanda was 13. While she is building a catalog of original songs, she also plays fun covers such as Charlie Daniel’s The Devil Went Down to Georgia and The Clash’s Should IStay or Should I Go. By the way, several years ago, Amanda turned down Disney’s offer of the title Hannah Montana role to sign with Rounder Records and pursue a serious music career.

Amanda Shaw @ Gentilly Stage, Jazz Fest 2010

And then, stroll back toward the Acura stage for some of Gov’t Mule. There’s something about strolling around the Fairgrounds while Warren Haynes sings Thorazine Shuffle. The Gov’t Mule Setlist:

Blind Man In The Dark
Steppin’ Lightly
Broke Down on The Brazos
Railroad Boy->
Beautifully Broken
I’ll Be The One
Thorazine Shuffle
Soulshine

While walking by the Fais Do Do stage, I ran into more of my Krewe who were watching Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie,an excellent zydeco band. Decided to stay here for a while; it was so good. Plus the dancers to the right of the Fais Do Do stage are always very entertaining:

Once arriving at the Gentilly stage, after listening to Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers for a few minutes, I quickly decided that the energy level was not up to the Jazz Fest scene. I am a fan of the Steep Canyon Rangers having seen them at the Delfest Bluegrass Festival last May. On this day, they just didn’t work for me. So it was back to the Acura stage to close the day with Widespread Panic. The band consists of :

This was the 3rd time that I have seen Widespread Panic at Jazz Fest. They always play on Thursday so that they can play a full 2 and a half hour set. This is the 2nd time I have seen the Panic since the death of guitarist Mikey Houser. While I miss Houser, the supremely skilled Jimmy Herring is a terrific replacement. Bandleader John Bell was in very fine voice, better than recent shows I have attended. They performed a couple of my favorites including Imitation Leather Shoes, Ophelia, and the excellent Mikey Houser tune This Part of Town. Here is a snippet of lyrics from This Part of Town, music with a message IMHO:

I was walkin’ the other day with my head down,
When I met a man who had his hand out.
So I gave him, gave him a dollar,
But as I walked away I heard him call out,

“Tell me Brother, can you see the sun
From where you’re standin’ now?
I’ve been up and I’ve been down,
But I’ve never been to this part of town.”

Well, after this glorious day, we worked our way back to the hotel. While working our way through the cab line, I tripped on an uneven sidewalk and fell on my right hip. Fortunately or unfortunately, I broke the fall with my camera pouch. I was uninjured, but my camera was a casualty. I will have to depend on others in my Krewe for the remaining installments.

After returning to the hotel, I was tired and in need of a shower and nap. My ‘power nap’ ended up lasting 10 hours. Best sleep I’ve had in years. So, no club show report for Thursday evening. Next installment: Friday.